Sarley: One of the most underrated places to go fishing in the suburbs

I probably spend more hours fishing these days at the shorelines of some of my favorite lakes and ponds than anywhere else. That said, if I had my druthers, I’d prefer to spend my time fishing from a boat.

I guess I feel more adventurous piloting a boat than I do casting from shore. It’s funny how I look at people fishing and see the bank fishermen trying to cast to the middle of a lake and conversely, the boaters are casting to the shoreline. Go figure. But it is true that you can reach a lot more spots in a watercraft than you can if you are walking the shoreline.

I sold my boat a couple of years ago. I found that I wasn’t taking it out of its parking spot in my garage as much as I used to. I was spending a lot more time in other people’s boats than I did in my own. I do miss having it around.

Many fishermen dream of owning their own boat and launching it on various waterways that they dream about fishing. Unfortunately, the skyrocketing cost of boats is putting them out of reach of many people.

A good alternative is to find a spot that offers boats for rent. Many forest preserves rent boats to the public, but unfortunately, these watercraft have to be propelled by oars. Oh my aching back! There are a few places I know of that offer boats for rent that have motors and are located on very good fishing water too.

The city of Crystal Lake manages the Vulcan Lakes complex in the Three Oaks Preserve. It is located on Route 14 and is open from 6:30 a.m. until dusk every day. They rent boats and all types of unpowered watercraft.

For more information, access threeoaks@crystallake.org or call 815-450-2020. Rental rates are $28 for two hours for a 12-foot boat and $12 an hour after that. A 14-foot boat will run you $31 and $14. Crystal Lake residents receive a substantial discount. Depth finders can be rented for an additional price.

When you show up there for the first time, you’ll be surprised at how clear the water is. A day that features overcast skies or a decent chop on the water is a benefit. The water is pretty deep, so be prepared to work up and down the entire water column. A stealthy presentation using fluorocarbon line would work the best. One nice thing is that the lake is closed to outside boats, so it is never overcrowded.

Three Oaks holds a great population of largemouth bass. Plastic worms rigged wacky style or hooked on a drop shot rig are an excellent presentation. Smallmouth bass are present, but I haven’t caught many. Walleyes are difficult to catch, and I wish the lake was open at night. Channel catfish are quite large and fight really hard. Nightcrawlers have always worked for me on the big cats.

If you are a fan of northern pike, Three Oaks is the place for you. The pike there are larger, on average, than anywhere else you will find them in Northern Illinois. They’ll chase almost any lure you throw at them. I like to throw Rat-L-Traps and spinnerbaits at them.

I like fishing the shoreline across the lake from the marina. Fishing in the weed beds around the islands is a good choice, too. There are so many likely spots that should hold fish, it can be overwhelming. I am sure that once you go fishing at Three Oaks, you’ll want to go back again.

Next week I will tell you about another place that offers boat rental and superior fishing.

• Daily Herald Outdoors columnist Steve Sarley can be reached at sarfishing@yahoo.com.